The News Canon - Edition 2

THE NEWS CANON

Read on to find out:

Is Dominic Raab a bully or a politician?

Bored of your friends? There are now 8 billion people to choose from NASA and the moon meet again

The Autumn Statement, it’s actually about the economy, not how the leaves turn brown

President Trump the sequel

Two celebrity couples have broken up calling all Harry Styles fans ch

Read on to page 4 to learn more about the World Cup in Qatar and the lack of LBTQ+ rights

Were you always sceptical if Neil Armstrong really landed on the moon? Did the flag blowing in the ‘breeze’ always confuse you? If so, go to page 3 to read more on how NASA and the moon will be meeting ‘again’.

Christmas countdown: 34 days

Hunt’s Autumn Hunt for Money - The Autumn Statement

By Aryn

On Thursday 17th November, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, delivered the Autumn Statement. It came at a time of significant economic challenge for the UK and the global economy. Here’s a quick guide to what’s in it, and what it means for you:

Summary:

The government wants to raise more money to fill up a big gap in its accounts. Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves labelled Mr Hunt's tax rises and spending curbs "an invoice for the economic carnage" caused by Liz Truss's mini budget, which costed the UK economy £30bn. The Chancellor explained that it simply wasn’t possible to raise £25 billion by only taxing the wealthiest. Overall, he announced £55 billion in tax rises and a squeeze in public spending that he claimed would tackle inflation rates. However, Labour has said he had picked the nation's pockets with "stealth taxes", accused the Tories of crashing the economy and making working people pay more than the wealthy.

Here are some key points from his speech (warning lots of numbers coming)

Taxation and wages:

Minimum wage for people over 23 is to increase from £9.50 to £10.42 per hour from April 2023. State pension payments and benefits will increase by 10.1%.

Previously, if you earned £150,00 per year or more, you had to pay a 45p additional tax rate. Now, that tax applies to anyone who makes £125,000 per year or more.

Income, National Insurance, and Inheritance Tax thresholds are frozen until April 2028.

This basically means is that the threshold catches more of the richest people, so more people are paying the highest rate of tax. The freeze will make a lot more money and make more people poorer than they are now because it is not rising with inflation.

Energy:

Household energy price cap (or maximum it can be) has been extended for one more year, but the cap has been raised from £2,500 to £3,000.

Households on means tested benefits (if your income is below a certain level) will get £900 support payments in 2023, pensioner households will be given £300, and individuals on disability benefit will be given £150. Tax on profits of oil and gas firms is increased from 25% to 35% and extended until March 2028.

Economy and public finances:

The economy is in recession, and the size of the economy will shrink by 1.4% in 2023.

There is a predicted growth of 1.3% (2024), 2.6% (2025), and 2.7% (2026).

UK’s inflation rate predicted to be 9.1% this year and 7.4% next year.

Unemployment to rise from 3.6% to 4.9% in 2024. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warned the disposable incomes of UK households would fall by 7.1% over the next two years the biggest drop on record.

Government spending:

Public spending will be maintained until 2025 but grow slower than expected.

In England, NHS budget will increase by £3.3 billion a year for the next 2 years, and education spending by £2.3 billion.

NASA and the Moon to Meet Again

By Sophia

On the 16th of November at 6:47am GMT, the NASA Artemis Moon rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre. It was a third time lucky for NASA, as attempts in August and September failed due to technical issues. The main aim of this mission is to test whether the Orion, the capsule which astronauts will be in once the rocket is deemed safe, will be able to land safely in the Pacific Ocean. Obviously, it wouldn’t be ideal for the rocket to catch fire and blow up. The Orion must be able to withstand temperatures of 3000 °C as it will be travelling at 32 times the speed of sound (roughly about 800 times faster than a car).

Mike Sarafin, the Artemis mission manager, said in an interview with the BBCthat itis the ‘world’s most powerful rocket’ and his boss, Bill Nelson said ‘that’s the biggest flame I’ve ever seen’. It makes sense as the SLS, space launch system, produced almost 9 million pounds of thrust off the launch pad. However, he perhaps more helpfully said ‘I have to say what we saw tonight was an A*’.

Most of you will know about Apollo 17, the last time we walked on the moon, and this December will mark the 50th anniversary of the lift off. NASA has aptly called its new Moon landing programme Artemis after Apollo’s twin sister in Greek Mythology. Sadly, Apollo and Artemis didn’t have a triplet so the next flight to the moon is just going to be Artemis 2.

Over the next decade, NASA hopes to inspire a new generation as the Artemis rocket will land the first woman and person of colour on the moon. Jessica Meir, who will be the first woman to land on the moon, said “for anybody that has

a dream or aspiration if they can see someone they can identify with a little bit, it puts them into a totally different perspective where they can say, ‘Well, wait a minute, that person was just like me, and they did it so I can do it too’.” If the mission goes to plan, she and 3 other astronauts, who haven’t been named yet, will first orbit and land on the moon then arrive safely back on earth.

The UK is also involved in the Artemis mission. The Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall detected the Orion’s radio signals and by analysing these shifts in frequencies, it allowed NASA to accurately predict the path of the rocket and correct its later course. The Artemis rocket is set to arrive back to earth in 20 days on the 11th of December, just 4 days before our Christmas holidays.

Celebrity News:

Love Island stars Gemma Owen and Luca Bish (who sells fish) have broken up after only 3 months together. They revealed that they have decided to go their “separate ways” following rumours over the course of last week

Harry Styles and Oliva Wilde have also now split up, after, in contrast, two years together. The People Magazine reported on their breakup, writing on how it was “very amicable”.

Istanbul Explosion: The Facts

ByGirisha

What happened?

On Sunday 13th November 2022, there was an attack on Istiklal Street, a busy shopping area in the heart of Istanbul, which resulted in the death of 6 people and a further 81 wounded. The explosion happened at about 16:20 (local time) and many videos are currently circulating of the explosion, in which people can be seen panicking and running away from the scene.

Who was it?

Authorities have arrested Ahlam Albashir, a Syrian national, who claimed to have received help from the Kurdistan’ Worker’s Party (PPK). Bulgaria has also charged 5 PPK affiliated suspects with helping the perpetrator flee. The PKK is recognised as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the EU, and US. However, they have denied any in involvement in the blast, claiming “we will not directly target civilians.” 47 other people have also been arrested, including terrorist and the senior leader of the PKK.

What was the response?

Istiklal Street is a remarkably busy street, especially because it is a hotspot for tourists. The immediate response was panic, as witnesses say people were rushing from the scene. The president also responded by suspending media coverage and limiting the use of social media. This unsettling response by the government made people worry that the same would happen in the approaching elections in June, an information blackout.

Who is facing the blame?

Syrian citizens fear that they will face backlash, because the attack was carried out by a Syrian Nationalist. Turkey holds the largest number of Syrian refugees in the world, 3.6 million, and there is already tension in the country. Many public figures have stated that the problem was caused by Syrians illegally entering the country. The fear is also increased by the response of people last year, when a young Turkish teenager was killed by two Syrians. The response then was to attack Syrian refugees, harming many innocent people and children in the process.

What will the effect be?

The attack could have a large economic impact because it could motivate tourists to stay away, especially because the attack occurred in a tourist hotspot. This would be extremely harmful to Turkey’s economy, with their current inflation rate of 85.5%.

Overall, the attack has caused lots of distress within Turkey, and many leaders express their concerns and condemn the actions of the terrorists involved.

LONG AWAITED WORLD CUP 2022 HOSTED BY QATAR: OPEN TO DEBATE?

By Adonna

YES, finally, the long awaited World Cup has come to revive football deprived fans after four years of anticipation, thrill, and bottoms on edge. Of course, nothing beats the euphoric sensation of watching Harry Kane strike his winning goal, or Pickford’s penalty save at the Euro 2020s. I don’t know about you, but considering FIFA’s 2018 pandemonium, which was England’s firsteverrise to the semi finals since the glory of 1966, has left many Brits gunning for more, especially me.

(continue reading on the next page)

But with this year’s host being Qatar, it seems as though this year’s World Cup fans won’t be able cheer for their favourite football stars as much as expected. Labour MP Chris Bryant remarked, “I don’t think the World Cup should even have been given to Qatar because workers have been killed in building the buildings (for the World Cup), migrants have been treated appallinglyand gay men are regularly entrapped by police officers and then sent to prison.” This is of course concerning to many homosexual Brit fans travelling to Qatar for the World Cup. They wonder whether they’d be able to enjoy the match with peace of mind, without the fear of Qatari officials discriminating against them.

Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar because it is considered immoral under Islamic Sharia law. Furthermore, Qatar is one of eleven countries where a death penalty can be faced if gay individuals are found participating in same sex activity. The UK government has been told to change its travel advice for the country to warn LGBT fans about the risks.

Ukrainian war: Russian missiles pound major cities days after Kherson pull-out

By Yasmine

Last week Russia withdrew their troops from the city of Kherson in Ukraine, after entering the city on the 11th November. This was a big turning point in the Russian Ukraine war, as previously this was the only regional capital Russia had managed to capture since the invasion in February. Kherson was a strategic port on a river as it formed a bridge between Crimea and Russia.

However, despite this supposed depiction of peace, last Tuesday, Russia launched 90 missiles into Ukraine, targeting the capital, Kyiv. Even though Ukraine air defences managed to shoot down 70 of the missiles, descriptions of power outages were reported across millions of homes. At least one person was killed and, in a video, shared by President Zelensky’s office, a block of flats was shown, engulfed by fire.

Last Monday, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told the affairs committee that he would go to the tournament and speak to Qatari authorities, in his governmental role, to make sure British fans ‘remain safe.’ But Cleverly’s advice to gay fans to not protest in Qatar has stirred up some controversy, particularly from Labour MPs.

Despite all the love and concern for LGBTQ+ fans from Conservative member Cleverly, Chris Bryant described his comments as a “slap in the face” to gay fans, especially after Cleverly added, “When British nationals travel overseas, they should respect the laws of their host country.” Now, the question is whether LGBTQ+ fans are entitled to express their views in public, disregarding religion or Islamic Sharia law against LGBTQ+ people, or whether they should endeavour to avoid demonstration to respect the laws in Qatar. The response is… open to debate, I guess.

Russia has faced fierce disproval for the ongoing war, and the situation has been described as critical by Kyrylo Tymoshenko (deputy head of Mr Zelensky’s office) who accused Russia of specifically planning attacks on energy facilities in an attempt to plunge the country into a winter freeze.

About 40% of Ukraine’s power infrastructure have been destroyed since early October. Energy security is a key factor to Ukraine's overall success. However, Ukrainian officials have made it clear that they intend to continue fighting, despite messages from the West about considering negotiations with Russia. In order to resist Russia, Ukraine is currently building an ‘’army of drones’’, which is part of their plan to build a powerful defence system allowing them to gain more military independence.

The 8 billionth Child Is Born

By Selin

‘The eight billionth child has been born!’ said my father a few days ago at the dinner table. I was in shock, and he nodded knowingly, explaining the dangers of population growth in relation to climate change. I think he had misread my shock for concern for the planet, which eventually did develop into, but at first, I was startled because I was sure that we had reached that mark at least two years before. It turns out I was wrong. On 15 November, the UN stated that the eight billionth child had been born in Manila, Philippines, only 11 years after the seven billionth child to be born milestone had been reached.

The UN is quite experienced in selecting babies to represent these milestones, hand picking the five, six and seven billionth children before, and their stories can tell us a lot about population growth.

The five billionth child, named Gasper was born in July 1987, surrounded by a crowd of politicians. Gaspar wasn’t a fan of his worldwide fame and continues to refuse to participate in any sort of publicity, but his social media feeds tell us that he is a happily married chemical engineer. ‘We basically looked at the projections and dreamed up this idea that the world population would pass five billion in 1987’, British UN official Alex Marshall said. Now, three billion people have been added to the global population, although research has shown that in the next thirty five years, there will be an

increase of two billion, as the rate of population growth decreases.

A more enthusiastic population milestone was Adnan Mevic, the six billionth child. He lives in Bosnia Herzegovina, a country that’s population is predicted to halve in the next fifty years; one of the most rapidly decreasing populations of the world. However, this is a global issue.

The fertility rates have decreased significantly, from a global average of five births per woman in the 1960s to a current 2.4 per woman (women are still birthing whole children, I promise). However, some people view the declining population in a positive light; as the population resists death with advancing technology and medicine, the Earth does not. Overpopulation could lead to excessive emission of greenhouse gases, which is terrible for the Earth’s health.

Mevic has spoken on these matters from a young age, saying that ‘While other kids were having birthday parties, I was just visited by politicians. Most children would rather go ice skating than have a heart to heart about population decline with a politician.’

Whether population increase or decrease should be feared is a confusing issue. On one hand population increase is predominantly bad for our planet, however a population decrease could lead to a lack of young people in counties that most need them. Either way, the eight billionth child is now in existence.

The Climate and Ukraine – What is the result of the war?

By Samhita

The war between Russia and Ukraine continues to take an even bigger toll on the world, with a new development that was announced during this year’s COP27 climate summit in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.

Ukraine’s Environmental Protection minister, Ruslan Strilets, has claimed that Russia’s invasion and attacks has released around 33 million tonnes of greenhouse gases into the Earth’s atmosphere. The Ukrainian government have been collecting evidence of environmental disasters, such as forest fires and oil burns, which can be linked to the war and are planning on seeking compensation from Russia on this basis.

The war with Russia has caused Europe’s largest refugee crisis since WW2, displacing 7.8 million Ukrainians as of the 8th of November. It has also caused severe damage to the country: the environmental damage alone will cost 37 million euros to repair.

The almost daily intensive bombing in Ukraine is releasing the equivalent of 16 million cars worth of emissions, and additionally, rebuilding the damage caused by the war in Ukraine will cause up to 49 million tons more of CO2 to be released. To say the least, it’s not looking good for the environment.

For all animal activists out there: the government of Ukraine claims 600 animals (including endangered species) and 750 plants and fungi are under threat. Since February, the deaths of 120 dolphins have been linked to the war. According to Strilets, ‘Russia has turned our natural reserves into a militarybase…we will have to do even more to overcome the climate crisis’.

In short, the war between Ukraine and Russia needs to end. Not only for the wellbeing of the citizens and soldiers of both countries, but also for the good of the world, and the environment we are so desperate to protect.

Dominic Raab: Bully or Politician?

By Clementine

Last week saw the resurfacing of two behavioural complaints against the (current) deputy PM Dominic Raab. These accusations of bullying were allegedly made when Raab was working as justice secretary and foreign secretary under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as he outlined in a letter to Rishi Sunak, PM, last Wednesday. Despite an initial denial of the allegations made against him, his letter requested that a formal investigation be made into his conduct with officials, adding that he would “cooperate fully” with the inquiry.

Angela Rayner, Labour deputy leader, was unconvinced by the PM’s retaliation to the claims, and argued that “the deputy Prime Minister knows his behaviour is unacceptable” during Prime Minister’s questions on Wednesday. Ms Rayner said that Mr Raab “had to demand an investigation into himself because the prime minister is too weak to get a grip”, pointing out with incredulity the ridiculousness of Raab’s conduct and claiming that junior staff were “too scared to even enter his office” due to his “abrasive, controlling and demeaning” behaviour.

Mr Sunak quickly came to the defence of his deputy while attending the G20 summit in Indonesia, telling reporters that he was unaware of any formal complaints made against Raab. In a response to his letter, Sunak agreed that “proceeding in this way is the right course of action”. Downing Street stated that they had begun the process of finding a suitable investigator for the task.

Although the inquiry would ordinarily be carried out by the PM’s adviser on ministerial conduct, this role has been left unoccupied since Lord Geidt’s resignation from the position in June of this year after Boris Johnson’s Partygate scandal, leaving Mr Sunak as the ultimate judge of

ministerial code in relation to Raab. Rayner says this demonstrates their lack of “integrity”.

The complaints come at a time of huge economic and social pressure, and public

reactions have suggested that there is a general notion that the alleged misconduct of Dominic Raab illustrates a chaotic and incompetent cabinet that is unable to deliver stability to the UK.

Trump: Heading for the White House, Again?

By Lana

As ever, Former US President Donald Trump keeps the surprises coming, and this time seems to have shocked many as he declares ‘America’s comeback starts right now’ as he begins his bids for the White House once again, in 2024.

So far, he has spoken to a group of invited guests at his private club in Palm Beach (no surprises there) and gave a speech in which he announced ‘In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States’. This early declaration is being called a tactic to steal a march on potential rivals for the Republicans’ White House nomination. He then filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to formally submit his fundraising account while surrounded by his adoring fans.

He went on to give a speech for over an hour in which he discussed what he would do if he were given another term of presidency including, border security, energy independence and crime. He was also joined by other family members in which his daughter, Ivanka, stated she would not be as involved in this campaign compared to previously.

On the other side of the world, 11,000 miles away at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, President Biden spoke with various reporters asking him how he felt about Trumps decision to run again. He said that he did not have a reaction and was even filmed laughing when a reporter suggested that Mr. Trump still has a large, strong support base.

Trump will have to face many challenges such as addressing the claims he made in 2020. These included suggesting that the elections were biased and that mass voter fraud had been committed, he will also have to bounce back from being the only US President to be impeached twice.

In light of the recent midterm elections, some conservatives have been blaming Trump for the Republicans’ failure to achieve victories across states, and how the party is on the verge of taking power in the US House of Representatives, but by a very slim margin. Further spurring this is the fact that candidates he supported in key states such as Pennsylvania, Arizona and Michigan were defeated while others in Ohio and North

Carolina had won making it a decidedly mixed set of results for Trump.

This claim to the White House comes at a strange time for Trump as he is currently under investigation for a number of things including the removal of classified files from the White House during his last term. He is also under scrutiny from every citizen of the USA as during his four tumultuous years in office he was accused of governing by tweet, equivocating over far right violence and alienating US allies with his ‘America First’ policy, none of which can be repeated in this term, if he wins again.

Polish Village Bordering Ukraine Hit by Missiles

This article may contain distressing information for some readers

By Ai Yi

It has nearly been nine months since Russia first invaded Ukraine, and since then it has been reported that a Polish village, Przewodów, had in fact been hit by missiles as a result of the war, killing two people. The small village with a registered population of 900 has felt the devastating impact of the war’s effects beyond the borders of Ukraine.

This is significant as Poland is part of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), an international organization whose purpose is to ‘guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means’ (according to NATO’s website). This has been the first NATO territory to have been attacked due to the war. As Poland is a member of NATO, the country responsible for the missiles could potentially have turned NATO into an enemy.

Who sent the missiles is unclear, with contradicting reports from different leaders. ‘Most likely this is a Ukrainian air defence missile’(BBC), is what the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stolenberg, had to say in response to the news of the missiles, and promised to supply a ‘more advanced air defence

system’(BBC) to try and avoid this happening again. Mr Stolenburg also said, “Let me be clear: this is not Ukraine’s fault,”, “Russia bears the ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine” (Guardian).

The Polish President Andrzej Duda believes it could be from a Russian S 300 missile, but made it clear there was no evidence it had been fired by Russia, and President Biden of the USA (also a member of NATO) has also said that the missiles were ‘unlikely’(BBC) to be Russian due to its trajectory.

Ukraine’s President Zelenskiy stated that the missile was not from Ukraine and said ‘I believe that this was a Russian missile, based on our military reports’(BBC), and asked for permission to conduct a ‘joint study’ into missiles strikes, to which Duda (Poland’s President in case you forgot), has said both Poland and USA would have to agree to for it to go ahead.

The Russian defence ministry has said that it had not targeted anywhere within 35km the Ukraine Poland border on the day of the missiles and

claimed that they were Ukrainian S 300 from photographs they had obtained.

NATO allies met in Brussels on the day of the attack, but as of the 19th November 2022, it is still unclear where the missiles came from. Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki

(yes Poland has a prime minister and president) gave a press conference, where he said security forces and international experts were trying to determine the cause of the explosion. The prime minister also asked that people be calm. ‘I call on all Poles to remain calm around this tragedy. Let’s be prudent, let’s not let ourselves be manipulated’ (Guardian).

Ukrainian war – Russian Activist writes letters from jail

By Finn

The BBC has been receiving letters from an imprisoned Russian activist. His letters describe the situation in the country, and hold the view that Russia is not doomed to be an autocratic society forever.

A sworn opponent and long standing critic of President Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Kara Murza, has been speaking out for many years about the crimes and horrors committed by Putin’s military. He returned to Moscow earlier this year, despite it being life threatening, and was immediately charged with treason and thrown into jail. Kara Murza could spend up to 24 years in jail, but he wrote that he ‘couldn’t stay silent in the face of what’s happening, because silence is a form of complicity (participation in an immoral or illegal act).’

Kara Murza grew up during Russia’s democratic awakening after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He studied history at Cambridge, while beginning a career in Russian politics as an adviser to the liberal Boris Nemtsov. Nemtsov was assassinated in February 2015 near the Kremlin in Moscow, for helping to organise a rally against Russian military intervention in Ukraine. The killer has never been caught. Kara Murza has twice been the victim of unresolved poisoning attempts.

Kara Murza was initially detained for disobeying a police officer but was then accused of ‘spreading false information’ about Russia’s military activity and ‘higher leadership.’ His charge of treason is based on three speeches that he gave abroad, including one where he stated that political opponents of Putin in Russia were persecuted. He was speaking on behalf of the US based Free Russia Foundation, which is forbidden in Russia; any ‘assistance’ to a foreign organisation which is considered a threat is classed as treason.

In his letters, Kara Murza emphasised that there is a part of Russian society that still ‘wants a different future for our country’. He urged the British people not to assume that the entire population has been brainwashed by Putin’s ideals and autocratic regime.

While Kara Murza is imprisoned, his wife Evgenia took on the work that he was doing. She is advocating for a brighter Russian future, raising awareness on what’s happening in Ukraine, and speaking out about the political repression and autocracy in Russia. She is going to unveil the Boris Nemtsov Place in Highgate to honour Kara Murza’s close friend and mentor.

Vladimir Kara Murza writes, ‘their [Soviet era protestors] favourite toast back then was “To the success of our hopeless cause!” But as we know, it wasn’t so hopeless after all.’